Month: August 2018

Ok, so I am a little late writing this, since my Dad’s birthday was actually back in February, but what can I say, I have been a little busy since then, juggling a ‘day’ job and my increasingly busy cake business (not to mention the family and a dog to look after)!! Better late than never….

Anyway, back to the reason for my post, my Dad’s 70th Birthday!

My Dad, being my Dad, said he didn’t want any fuss (yeah right Dad!!), so completely ignoring that, my brother and I organised a small gathering/party at a local pub. My brother was sorting the guest list, whilst I did the food & cake, seemed like a good idea, but the guest list kept growing! So what started at around 20, ended up more like 50!

When it came to deciding on a cake, I knew it had to be impressive! After all, what is the point of having a daughter who makes cake and just getting a ‘normal’ cake! It had to be impressive, but what???? Farming themed (my dad started off as a farmer and still lives on the family farm), lorry themed (he owned his own transport business before retiring), chickens, gardening??? No, I’ve got it……BEER! Obviously it had to be something special though, but then I remembered……I had seen something amazing somewhere! A beer barrel cake that actually pours beer, Paul Bradford Sugarcraft School (now CakeFlix) had a tutorial and I am a Pro member, so had full access……

After visits to the local DIY store and wine shop, I was ready to bake. My go to Chocolate Mud cake was in the oven and I got to grips with a saw and a drill to make the stand.

The cake was pretty straightforward to construct, a little iffy with the plumbing, not going to lie, we had a few leaks, but plenty of Duck tape and a little bit of holding our breath and we were good to go!

Although Dad knew he was getting a cake, the design was a complete surprise, as was the flavour. However, chatting to him the week before, Dad dropped into conversation “I love your lemon cake, I hope it is a lemon cake!”…….Aarrghhhh!!!!!

Of course, as any good daughter would do, I had to make sure that Dad had his ‘favourite lemon cake’ (news to me!) for his birthday…….Cue cake number 2…..a ‘Meat Pie, chips and mushy peas’ cake (thank goodness for CakeFlix!). This time, instead of Paul Bradford, it was Molly Robbins who was a guest tutor, but again very simple to follow and in a flash, cake number 2 was finished, just in time for the party!

The party was a huge success, it was great to catch up with family and friends, but most importantly, Dad had a great time! Thankfully, everyone loved the cakes (to look at and to eat thankfully!), of course, the beer barrel was well tested, and Dad loved his lemon (pie) cake…..”Cheers Dad!!”